Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Bread

We are HUGE Indian food fans. It all started when we lived in Provo and first experienced the Bombay House. It is this amazing little restaurant where even the servers wear turbans and barely speak english, but the food is heaven. Every Indian restaurant we have visited since is compared to this. Nothing ever compares. I have tried and failed many times to find a recipe that is even remotely close to how good their food is. But I think I have finally found the best and I could kiss the person who's recipe it is. Although I really have no idea who they are. I got these recipes off of the Sister's Cafe, who got the Chicken Tikka Masala recipe off of The Pioneer Woman ... blah, blah, blah... What is important here is that these recipes are outstanding. So thank you to whoever came up with these!

Chicken Tikka Masala

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 c plain yogurt

6 Tb butter (divided)

cumin

coriander

kosher salt
1 T sugar

1 1/2 c heavy cream

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 in. chunk fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Garam Masala
sugar
2 c Basmati rice

optional:

fresh cilantro

chili peppers

turmeric

frozen peas

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with Kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes on each side. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.

Next dice the onion and saute with 2 Tb butter over med-high heat until slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic and ginger (1x2 inch peeled chunk). Add to onions with 1 tsp. salt.

At this point add 3 Tb Garam Masala spice (you can look at your grocery store but we had to go to a specialty food store). If you like it hot, add a chili pepper or two. (We did about 1/2 a Serrano pepper and it tasted great. Our 18 month old even loved it!) Add the tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 Tb sugar and allow this mixture to simmer on medium for 5 minutes.

To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 Tb butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tb ground turmeric and 4 c water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure you use Basmati. (The turmeric adds a very subtle flavor - it's more about the vibrant yellow color it creates.)

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a bit, puree it in a blender or with an immersion blender or just leave it chunky. Next, add in the 1 1/2 c heavy cream. Now chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and add them into the sauce. A handful of chopped cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Masala over the top. The Naan bread is a must, it just finishes the meal perfectly!

Naan Bread

14 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 egg

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/2 cup milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl by hand), stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and yeast.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg, yogurt, and milk. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute, until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients.Increase machine speed to 2 (or by hand) and knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with a towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.

Put a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.

Divide the dough into eight pieces and form into teardrop shapes with your hands, about 6 to 8 inches across.

Cook two or three pieces at a time. Drop the dough onto the hot stone and shut the oven door, watching until they are just starting to turn brown in places, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the naan and lay on a board. You can lightly brush with melted butter or garlic butter, or just enjoy them plain. We put some garlic powder and chopped fresh parsley in the melted butter.